Sunday, November 23, 2008

And the Winner is...

JURIS MATER

With an impressive time of 34:43!

An 8K is just about 5 miles, so Juris Mater ran sub 7 minute miles for the entire race. She finished 86th (12th overall female) out of 1625 runners. She was amazing--blowing away the competition and living up to her prodigious trash-talking.

As for the rest of us:

* B-Mama and I set out to run under 40 minutes, and we both accomplished our goal. I clocked in at 38:21 and B-Mama finished in 39:50, making her the fastest 3 month post-partum mommy on the course. Way to go B-Mama! As always, I am amazed by your strength.

* MaryAlice finished the race without going into labor! Just in case you all forgot, she is 38 weeks pregnant! Have you ever tried to walk 5 miles when 38 weeks pregnant?

* And last, but possibly most impressive, is Mr. MaryAlice. Mr. MaryAlice ran his first 1/2 marathon. A big congratulations to him for all his hard work and dedication. He has run himself into one fit Daddy.

Overall, the race was a fantastic experience. Despite the 25-degree starting temperatures, we all had a great time, accomplishing our goals, cheering for one another, and enjoying the company of wonderful friends. I'm already looking forward to next year.

12 comments:

K
said...

This is all wonderful--congrats to you all! As someone who has never been much into exercise, it has been encouraging to see how each of you have kept in a priority in your life even through pregnancies and birthing and nursing. I can't report any spectacular results as far as how much time I've spent exercising recently, but I have exercised more in the past two weeks than I have all the rest of this second pregnancy combined (I'm a few weeks behind Mary Alice). I admire you all!

Anyone's quads kill today? Ouch!!Thanks, Red, for your kind words regarding my race. To sum it up, though, I was truly racing out of my league. 8-min miles is not too shabby for me these days. 6:50 splits Juris Mater? Amazing! You were not blowing smoke with all of your trash talk!!

And might I say that Red ran incredibly well for not having trained over the last two weeks due to injury!! She also spent some precious oxygen motivating me throughout the first two miles of the race. Thanks Red!

Yesterday evening I could not really lift my own legs, I told my husband that if I went into labor he was going to have a lot of work to do to support me! Thankfully I am feeling much better today, and really pumped about the experience. These events are inspiring, and I encourage anyone with fitness goals to look into doing a race or fun run.

Mr. MA's first thing was a 5 K in our neighborhood, and it was a really great fitness milestone for him.

My brothers also both ran personal bests for the half marathons, this was their fourth race, I think, and they are looking forward to more in the spring.

At Philly the announcer said something wonderful == the great thing about this sport is that all you need is a pair of sneakers and a good attitude. Those of us with kids also need a willing spouse to hold down the fort, but I can attest that the payoff in happy, healthy partner is well worth the few hours a week that he is out running.

Ladies, that was SO much fun. What a treat to have a goal to train for and an excuse to get serious about running again.

Red, thanks for getting this whole thing together, and for your fun spirit and commitment throughout the training and competition. Thanks for waving to me as we were dying mid-race. You are so fun!

B-mama, thanks for traveling the furthest and for pushing your elite-running-body to hang with those of us who have had more than a handful of days to recover from our last childbirth! Your presence from WAY out of town and your cheerfulness as our only really legit competitive runner dignified the event.

MaryAlice, wow. They need to give out a prize for the likes of you. I KNOW that I couldn't walk 5 miles 38 weeks pregnant, it ain't pretty at that point, I'm SO letting it all go by then. Congratulations!

Also, MA, I love what the announcer said about how all you need to run is a pair of shoes and a good attitude. I have always loved the quotation from Chariots of Fire, "God made me fast, and when I run I feel His pleasure." I'm not trying to go overboard here, but I bet a lot of you understand these sentiments too... I do feel very close to God when I'm pounding the earth under my feet and breathing fresh air and rejoicing in a healthy body, a clear head and free spirit. I had forgotten how much I love, love, love running.

And, like all of you, I can barely walk today. Nothing like trying to relive younger glory days after having aged 10 years. The spirit is willing but the flesh is oh so weak : )

Amazing, all of you! I wish I could have been there to cheer you on! MA, you seem like you're in tip-top shape right now, I'm so glad for you! It's a great feeling to be so fit at the end of a pregnancy, and all of your efforts seem to have really payed off. And B-Mama, Red, and JM, your performances are inspiring! We took the kids up to watch the regional cross country championships this weekend, and it was awesome to watch these incredibly talented high school students running their hearts out. Reminded me of why I liked running so much, I just don't think that I'm built to be a runner :)

On another note, let me just put in one more plug for in-home fitness. I know that when you live in colder climates, it can be hard to get outside and exercise during the winter, especially when there is ice on the ground. Believe me, I tried to walk last winter, but it was treacherous with the ice! So, with that in mind, I would advocate finding a fitness video that you enjoy doing, memorize the moves, and then you can exercise while watching a TV program or praying or listening to music. Personally, I've got a Pilates + Cardio routine that I've been doing, and I think that it keeps me fit and limber. It can be 10 minutes, or 40 minutes, whatever my needs are for that day, and I can do it while watching the news or praying the rosary.

We watched Chariots of Fire last week to get psyched, what an incredible movie!

At the end of my last pregnancy, I was lying on the floor and complaining most of the time, Red can attest because she got a whiny call from me almost everyday. I don't know why this one is so much better, but I am 38 weeks today and still feeling well.

We have thanksgiving followed by a weekend out of town, so I just have to get through all of that and it will be December and then the baby can come anytime, as far as I am concerned!

You all are amazing! I pulled my down comforter up a little tighter as I thought of you girls freezing on Sunday morning. I am gasping for air just reading this. It's a good think I didn't show up and embarrass myself in my Cowboys cheerleader outfit. I'm thinking to myself that a few years ago I ran a marathon at that pace....oh, how far we fall! And I was definitely thinking that MA would go into labor!

Truth be told, I have no desire to run Boston. I loved the Disney marathon in FL. Boston is so big and there is no guarantee that it will be warm. I am totally a fair weather runner...I start wheezing when it's super cold air and lose feeling in my hands and feet. Now if you all wanted to head south we could talk...

I think you'd have a great time, Tex! We could pack it in around you and keep you warm!! And JM, don't fret the qualifying time. You need to run 8:20 mile splits to make it. You could do that in your sleep! :) Wouldn't it be fun to add "I ran Boston" to our life goals accomplished lists?? Can you tell it's on my to-do's?

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